Watching television is associated with two things. The first is food. People eat more when they watch TV. The second is being overweight. Your challenge? Watch less TV.

As you know, whether you enjoy TiVo, your cable company’s DVR, Hulu, Apple TV, or Netflix, the way you watch TV has changed significantly since you were a kid. Although we continue to spend a lot of time in front of the TV (or computer screen), we are no longer at the mercy of fixed-time programming. We watch our shows pretty much when we want to. That allows some people to consume even more TV, and it permits others to watch more efficiently.

Unfortunately, as television has become more convenient to watch, doing other things becomes less convenient – reading, family time, studying, even exercising. This isn’t to say that if you were not watching TV, you’d be training for a marathon. But if you’re not sitting on the couch, you’re doing something. And doing something burns more calories than doing nothing at all.

Multiple research studies have explored the relationship between TV viewing and being overweight, particularly in children and adolescents – truly a captive audience. But more recent findings have emerged regarding adults and TV watching, and the cable companies will not be too happy. Women who watch only one hour a day have a body mass index 1.8 points lower than women who watch three hours a day. Watching more TV is associated with an almost 50% higher risk of being overweight or obese. Not only are TV watchers less active, they also consume more snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Studies of television “interventions” with children have been very encouraging. A study published in The Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that reducing TV time by half was associated with a significant reduction in body mass index. One might imagine that a highly motivated and more insightful adult population (the kids were not told why they were watching less TV) with greater options for physical activity and a better understanding of healthful snacking might achieve even better results.